Danger at the Iron Dragon Read online

  I’m not sure what came over me. I guess I was just caught up in the moment. After all, I knew what it was like to feel as if there was no hope left.

  But I also knew that those were the moments when you needed your friends the most.

  Leaning over the plastic barrier, I shouted, “You can do it, Carly!”

  Bess looked at me, surprised and delighted, then yelled, “Yeah, Carly! You’re unstoppable!”

  The rest of the team joined in, shouting Carly’s name and cheering her on. I saw something change in Carly’s face, hearing all those voices, like she was digging deep to find the last ounce of strength she had left.

  A moment later, she scooted to the side—changing her angle—and without even using her injured hand, bridged her hips up and flipped Lucy over. Lucy was so surprised to find her opponent on top of her, she didn’t even have a chance to defend the armbar before Carly locked it on. Lucy tapped the mat furiously, and just like that, it was over.

  The entire crowd around me erupted in cheers. Carly had done it! She’d won gold!

  With her injured hand tucked into her gi, she let the referee lift her other arm in victory.

  She was walking back to us, a huge smile on her face, when Lucy stopped her a few feet from the barrier where we were all waiting. I winced, worried that she would say something mean and ruin the moment.

  “Hey, Carly,” Lucy said nervously. “That was a great fight. Congratulations.”

  Carly’s eyebrows went up. “Oh… thanks, Lucy. You too.”

  Lucy shook her head. “Nah, I totally botched that match.”

  Carly put a hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. You know what they say: you either win or you learn.”

  Lucy looked up at Carly’s kind face and seemed to make a decision. “So, um, listen,” she said. “I know I messed up back at Lockdown, and I’m really sorry. You were right about Brock. You were right about everything.” Her face creased with emotion. “The truth is, I miss training with you. These past few months, I realized that the only reason I really liked Lockdown was because you were there. It’s just not the same now that you’re gone.”

  Carly’s eyes softened. “Lucy, I miss you, too. You were the best training partner I’ve ever had. You’re amazing.” She grabbed Lucy’s hand and squeezed it. “Why don’t you come train at Iron Dragon with me?”

  “Really?” asked Lucy. “You think your coach would be okay with that?”

  “He welcomed me in when I needed a new team,” Carly said. “I’m pretty sure he’d do the same for you. Just go and ask him.”

  Lucy shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand,” she said. “Even after everything that’s happened? You’d still want me there?”

  Carly grinned, mischief in her eyes. “How about this: whatever we’ve got left to work out, we can work it out on the mats. Deal?”

  Lucy chuckled, her blue eyes sparkling. “Deal.”

  A few minutes later the whole Iron Dragon team was gathered in front of the podium to watch Carly receive her medal. Lucy stood next to her in the second-place position, looking happier than I’d ever seen her. Brock stood at the edge of the crowd. He looked furious, but no one paid him much attention.

  After the medal was placed around Carly’s neck and everyone snapped pictures on their phones, I heard a murmur of excitement pass through the crowd. “What is it?” I asked Coach Ethan. “What’s going on?”

  He smiled. “Master Julian is here.”

  “Master Julian?” Bess asked. “Who’s that?”

  “He’s the owner, the man who started Iron Dragon,” Coach Ethan replied. “The one who taught me Jiu-Jitsu and gave me my black belt.”

  “Ooh,” Bess said, clearly impressed. “He gave you your black belt?”

  “Mm-hmm,” Coach Ethan said with a chuckle. “And he’ll never let me forget it.”

  I craned my neck to see a serious-looking man in jeans and a black T-shirt walking toward the podium with a small bag slung over his shoulder. His black hair was cropped close to his head, and he wore silver wire-rimmed glasses. I recognized him as the man in the team photo on the wall back at the academy. Although he was a full head shorter than Brock Vaughn, he seemed to radiate an energy that made everyone in the crowd turn to watch what he was going to do next.

  Carly saw him coming, and all the color drained from her face.

  He reached the podium and looked up at her. “Carly,” he said in a quiet voice that nonetheless reached every ear in the room. “You did well today. Congratulations.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a brown belt. “Keep working hard, and one day you’ll have a black belt of your own.” For the second time in an hour, every member on the Iron Dragon team lost their minds. Master Julian untied the purple belt from her waist, slung it around her neck, and replaced it with the brown one. Once he’d shaken her hand and stepped back, all her friends ran up onto the podium and took turns hugging her and taking selfies.

  I was so busy enjoying the show, I didn’t even realize Master Julian was there until he was standing right in front of me.

  “Hello,” he said.

  “Oh!” I exclaimed, a little startled. “Um, hello!”

  “Nancy Drew, is it?” Master Julian said. “I’m Julian Kim, founder and owner of Iron Dragon MMA. I’ve heard quite a lot about you. Something about stopping a bank robbery at the academy last night and rooting out a traitor from our midst.”

  I blushed. “You make it sound so dramatic.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “When several criminals, close to a million dollars, and the River Heights Police Department are involved, I would say ‘dramatic’ is a fair assessment.”

  “That’s true,” I admitted.

  “I wanted to personally thank you for everything you’ve done. I hope you’ll take Coach Ethan up on his offer and continue to train with us.”

  I looked away. “Well, my friend Bess is definitely going to keep at it, but I’m just not sure I’m the right kind of person for Jiu-Jitsu.”

  Master Julian didn’t blink. He just regarded me, saying nothing. I felt like he was looking straight into my soul, and I felt a little nervous to know what he’d find there. “You’re wrong,” he finally said. “And besides, there’s no such thing as ‘the right kind of person for Jiu-Jitsu.’ If you want to learn, that’s all you need. So, what do you say?”

  I thought for a moment, casting my mind back to where this whole case started: that night with Chef Kathy at the soup kitchen. “How about this,” I said. “The community around Iron Dragon needs all the help it can get right now. Do you think you guys could do some free lessons for kids in the neighborhood? Maybe pitch in on some of the community projects going on? People like you and your team could really help us make changes for the better. You guys are heroes, and River Heights needs heroes right now. If you do me that favor, you can have your students throw me around as much as they want.”

  Master Julian gave a little smile. “You drive a hard bargain, Miss Drew. But I like the way you think. It’s a deal.” He nodded crisply, then walked away.

  I watched him go, my heart feeling very full. I may have been sore beyond belief, but that moment made it all worthwhile.

  Bess and George returned from their hugs and selfies, looking exhilarated. “You know, Bess,” George said, “this combat sports thing may not be for me, but it’s pretty cool, and I’m glad it makes you happy.”

  Bess grinned. “Aw, thanks, cuz. So does that mean I can practice my moves on you?”

  George laughed. “If you pay me in snacks, I’ll consider it.”

  Bess shoved her cousin playfully before turning to me. “What about you, Nancy? Will you ‘roll’ with me sometime?”

  I grinned. “Sure, Bess. Why not? But right now, all I want is a couch and a pizza. What do you ladies think?”

  Bess slapped my hand and gave me a fist bump. “You’re on!”

  Dear Diary,

  WOW—WHAT A BUSY FEW WEEKS! Since P
enny and Liam were arrested, the Iron Dragon team has been going above and beyond to help out in the community. Coach Ethan and some of the upper belts started teaching about a dozen kids from the neighborhood, and Libby organized a fundraiser at the local pizza shop to buy them all brand-new gear. Some of the other team members started joining me at the soup kitchen every week too—Kathy couldn’t be happier to have all those extra hands at mealtime! It’s awesome to see these athletes not only fighting on the mat, but also fighting for a better future for our city.

  Bess has been training three times a week and loves it more and more each day. I’ve gone with her to class a few times, and I have to admit, Jiu-Jitsu really is a lot of fun! She’s already planning on doing her first competition in a few months. She says she’s totally freaked out, but she wants to do it anyway. I’m so happy for her—facing down bad guys is great, but facing your fears? Now that’s something that really deserves a medal.

  More from this Series

  A Capitol Crime

  Book 22

  A Nancy Drew Christmas

  Curse of the Arctic Star

  Book 1

  Strangers on a Train

  Book 2

  More from the Author

  Captive Witness

  The Twin Dilemma

  About the Author

  Carolyn Keene is the bestselling author of the popular Nancy Drew series of books.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  First Aladdin hardcover edition January 2021

  Text copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Keene, Carolyn, author.

  Title: Danger at the Iron Dragon / by Carolyn Keene.

  Description: First Aladdin paperback edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2021. |

  Series: Nancy Drew diaries ; #21 | Audience: Ages 8-12. | Summary: Nancy, Bess, and George’s

  Jiu-Jitsu class at Iron Dragon MMA takes a dark turn when they discover a threatening message

  at the front desk, leading Nancy to investigate whether a rival academy is to blame.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2020029215 (print) | LCCN 2020029216 (ebook) |

  ISBN 9781534442030 (paperback) | ISBN 9781534442047 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534442054 (ebook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Jiu-jitsu—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.K23 Daqm 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.K23 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020029215

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020029216